NEWARK – Hungry residents looking to enjoy local food will have at least 15 options at area restaurants next week.

After several months of planning, the Licking County Local Food Council is kicking off the first Local Food Week Friday, which runs until Aug. 22.

Partnering with local chefs, farmers, restaurants and other businesses, the council has organized a week of programing to educate local consumers about the foods and beverages available within 30 miles of their homes, organizer Bryn Bird said.

“We really want to bring awareness of all the great stuff we have going on in Licking County,” Bird said.

A group of volunteers representing local farms, eateries and other county agencies, the Local Food Council was created three years ago. The group meets bimonthly to brainstorm ways to connect consumers with locally produced food.

Last year, the council organized a one-night event at the Buckeye Lake Winery featuring five chefs who made dishes with local food. The event sold out. That popularity was a signal to the council that an even bigger event could be a success, Bird said.

Using Athens, Ohio, as a model, the group began working on planning a weeklong event, based around the Thirty Mile Meal project.

Launched in Athens in 2010, the project is a branding campaign designed to let consumers know when a business is using locally produced fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products.

Businesses using local products receive a sticker for their windows to let customers know they offer local items. Businesses also are listed on a map at realfoodreallocalinstitute.org.

Athens has an entire month celebrating local food, and Bird said she would like to eventually have a similar month in Licking County.

“We are hoping this year is a start,” she said. “This will get people talking and next year it will grow and it will be an event that grows year after year.”

The week will kick off Friday with a food truck rodeo at Dawes Arboretum, which will feature five local food trucks, three local breweries, live music and activities for kids.

A CycLicking bike tour and a foraging clinic also are on the schedule.

Fifteen local restaurants will offer a special menu item featuring a local product throughout the week. Some eateries will use a local product in their dishes while others will create an entire entree, she said.

One of Bird’s goals for the week is to match local food producers, such as farmers and bakers, with business owners who want to use their products.

But without consumer interest, business owners won’t have any motivation to keep those products in their kitchens or on their shelves.

“This is the consumers chance to make a change,” she said. “They need to show that they will buy local, that buying local is important to them.”

Many county residents don’t realize how many of their favorites items, such as craft beer or cheese, can be found close to home. By the end of Local Food Week, Bird is hoping they’ll develop a taste for it and ask for more.